Behind The Scenes: Geocaching Podcast - #214: Munzee

You can tell that you have a really good subject to discuss when doing a podcast. Especially when you run a good 10 to 15 minutes over your standard show time then an additional hour of discussion between the show guests and the chat room audience. Thus was our Geocaching Podcast episode last night when we talked with Josh aka "Wanderer" and Scott aka "Coolant" who are some of the creators of Munzee.

What is Munzee you ask?

The skinnied down explanations describes Munzee as a geocaching-like game in which Munzee players place Munzee cards that contain a QR Code on the front of it. A smart phone like Iphone or Android scan the QR Code and mark it in place via the smart phone GPS. Munzee finders use a map on the smart phone to search for the hidden Munzee cards and then scan the QR Code as proof of the find itself. You are awarded points for hiding, finding and when someone finds your Munzee placements.

Here is a recent post explaining Munzee in more detail if you would like to see:
http://headhardhat-geocache.blogspot.com/2011/07/enjoying-my-munzee-madness.html

At any rate Darrylw4 and myself had a lot of fun talking about this new activity with creators Josh and Scott. Mainly because we both had been actively doing Munzee placements ever since we found out about Munzee. Darrylw4 in Michigan had put out a goodly amount while I placed about 20 so far in North Carolina.

Munzee has really taken off and the discussions both good, bad and greatly creative can be seen on Google+, Twitter, Facebook and most other social networks. It was really cool being able to discuss many of those key points right there with the guys who created it.

Interested in Munzee? To get all the details you will just have to download the show and give it a listen. There I believe you will find that Munzee is not going to be a replacement for geocaching. It will though be a really great compliment to it. I personally believe that Munzee will find it's own niche in the electronic explore and find arena . Who knows what innovated ideas that will come from this.

Just a quick note that XpunkX was not with us for last nights show. We missed him not being there and look forward to him being back again next week for our Cacher Coffee episode.

You can participate in the Geocaching Podcast chat room every Wednesday at 9:30pm EST when we record the show live. Go to http://www.geocachingpodcast.com for all the show information and details.

UPDATE:
Here is the actual show you can listen to right now!
http://geocachingpodcast.com/episode-214-munzee-com/

-HHH

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GeoWoodstock IX Wooden Plaque

It has occurred to me that I have not seen anyone showing photographs of their GeoWoodstock IX wooden plaques.  I can't remember which level of registration you received one of these one of a kind items but my level did. Ospry comes to mind... Anywho, here is some shots of the front and the back minus the ID codes.

Thought you would get a kick seeing this collectible.

It came with a beautiful oak finish frame and wooden inlets. You received three geocoins set into the wood. The star above the geocoin on the left gives the GC code to GeoWoodstock IX.

Front of Geowoodstock IX Plaque

Back of Geowoodstock IX Plaque

This is shown proudly on my display wall and already brings a flood of amazing memories from this geocaching mega event.

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Behind The Scenes: Geocaching Podcast #213 - Geocaching.com Mobile App

Had a really great time last night recording the latest edition of the Geocaching Podcast. This weeks episode had the full crew of Darrylw4, XpunkX and myself - HeadHardHat talking about the Geocaching.com mobile app. To help get all the inside information about this very useful tool we had as our guest Eric Schudiske. You may know Eric best from the Official Blog of Geocaching.com: Latitude 47.

The overall discussion was very informative as Eric talked about the three different operating systems the Geocaching.com app worked on and some of the differences with each. I don't want to fill in all the blanks here. Be sure to listen to Episode #213 when it becomes available in the next day or so.

You can participate in our live chat room as we record the Geocaching Podcast each and every week on Wednesdays at 9:30pm EST. Simply go to the Geocaching Podcast website and click the live link towards the top of the page.

See you there next week.

-HHH

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Great Tip To Know: Munzee Map Deployment Adjustment

To change your Munzee Coords simply move the red pointer.

Before reading below if you want to learn more about Munzee and how to get started with this fun geocaching like game go here and read up about it:

http://headhardhat-geocache.blogspot.com/2011/07/enjoying-my-munzee-madness.html

One of the things that I have started hearing about Munzee hides is the inaccuracy of the coords when placed. I kind of suspected that would be an issue because people forget to let the smartphone just sit for a minute or three and settle. What happens is your Munzee card is shows up way over there. Sometimes several hundred feet way over there and it is really right where you placed it. How can you correct when this happens?

Great question. Even with our best efforts of leaving the phone sit for a few minutes before scanning the Munzee card things like tree cover and other interference can cause the GPS to be off. The Munzee website has a really simple solution. Log in to www.Munzee.com and click on the smallish 'User Home' link at the top of the page. When it loads you will see another link towards the top middle called 'Deployed Munzees', click it. You will then be shown a list of all the Munzee hides you have placed. Choose the one you want to adjust.

This opens up all the information and description you will want to put about that particular Munzee.  Towards the bottom is a map that has a red pin showing where Munzee thinks you hid your card. Below the map is the coords that were uploaded when you scanned the card initially. At the top right of the map click the Satellite button. Now zoom in all the way you can and you will see a really great shot of the area you hid the Munzee card and where the red pointer thinks it is. To adjust, simply move the red pointer from where it is to where you want it to be. The coords automatically readjust to where you put it. When you have the pointer where you want it don't forget to click the 'Update Munzee Details' button to save everything.

Once done, the update is automatic and anyone searching your Munzee hide will now have a much better chance of finding it.

After seeing this I went to each of my hides and made the correct adjustments. It made a big difference on a couple. Hope this helps!

-HHH

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Enjoying My Munzee Madness

These Munzee cards are heading for
Lake Benson County Park

It has only been a week since I found out about MUNZEE. A game similar to geocaching in the sense that you use your smart phone and a Munzee application to hide and/or find Munzee Cards. The word is spreading throughout all of the social networks and it is really taking off. Thanks to Darrylw4 by the way who mentioned on last week's Geocaching Podcast.

Basically all you have to do is go to the Munzee website - www.munzee.com and get yourself registered. If you have a compatible smart phone either Android or iOS download the Munzee App. *Note your phone must have an auto-focus type camera otherwise your App will not install. 

Whether you are hiding a Munzee card of finding one you will use your Munzee app. On each Munzee card is a QR code. Those square bar code like graphics which contains information for only that Munzee card. 

If hiding, you scan the Munzee card via the app which utilizes your camera and some QR scanning software to register exactly where you scan the card. The GPS in your phone also is used to mark the spot and all is sent to the main Munzee website. Do a successful hide and you get points for your efforts.

If finding, you bring up the closest Munzee hides via your app. Select your choice and use the map to get you to where the Munzee card is hidden. Note the map is crude, don't look for any big bells and whistles right now but you can zoom in close enough to make a good guess of ground zero. When you find the Munzee card again use your phone app and scan the QR code on the card. When you successfully scan your find you get points.

You can hide Munzee cards any way that you wish. In containers like geocaches, laminate them or print via laser printer, basically any way you think the QC code can stay dry and protected works. 

I don't think that the game of Munzee will replace geocaching but it is a fun adaptation to it. I would think that Munzee cards would be much more accepted in high muggle areas than a traditional geocache would. In my humble opinion people are much less likely to yell "bomb" with a card held by a magnet. Common sense and permission with any hide though is always a key thing to have.

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Hey HHH, Why No LIVE Geocaching World Shows As Of Late?

We're glad you asked.. The reason why there have not been any new LIVE shows of Geocaching World (RVNN.tv) is because the network's Tricaster went belly up right after Geowoodstock IX. The Tricaster is used to switch around multiple cameras, mikes, graphics, etc. as the show is being recorded. It also produces the main output to the Ustream Live Chat Room while we are recording as well. That is how you are able to see us record our shows as we create them.

So basically no Tricaster, no new shows. Hopefully we should have it back in-studio sometime this week. This also means that hopefully we will be back in business for next week's recording at July 25, 2011. Keep your toes crossed for that please.

Thanks for your patience with all this. Believe you, me that we are going just as crazy about not doing the shows as you are. Thanks for your patience anyways. We have some cool prizes coming your way when we do get back to work so keep you eyes on the websites for the latest information.

-HHH

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Munzee Card Dunk Test - No Punch Holes

Munzee card. Thumb covering
QR Code.

There is a new electronic game that I have taking a liking too. It's called Munzee and it is a lot of fun.

In short Munzee is similar to Geocaching. That is you go to a website http://www.munzee.com and make an account. Once registered you can then make Munzee Cards. Each Munzee Card has a QR code on it. The QR code has all the information about that particular Munzee Hide. You activate the actual Munzee Hide by using your smartphone and the Munzee app by scanning the QR code at the place you want to hide the Munzee card.

To find a Munzee card you simply use the same app on your smart phone and look at the local map. You can zoom in enough to get a pretty good bead on where it is at. When found scan the QR code to earn your points.

That's pretty much all that is to it. The nice thing is you can either choose to hide your Munzee card in a container like a geocacher or place it on or behind a magnet. There will be tons of ways invented I am sure.

Now for the reason of this post. One of the ways that I saw a Munzee card hidden was with a lamintation similar to the photo above. The hider used a hole punch and a tie to attach it to a tree branch. The second I saw this I wondered how waterproof the hole now made the Munzee card?

To The Dunk Test!

The first of a series of tests was to see exactly how water resistant a hot lamintation would be. To test it I used a plastic container filled with some water and a business card of mine. The size of it is about the same as a standard Munzee card.

I sunk the card which was no problem and let it sit for an hour. I figured that would be  pretty consistent of a couple of rainy days in the wild.

Hot Lamination Dunk Test - No Hole
Time - One Hour 
Result - Stayed perfectly dry!

No surprise here. The biggest problem in the wild would be heat and the edges finally splitting but the initial test shows a Munzee card will stand up if not tampered with.



Sir You Have A Hole In Your Munzee...








The next dunk test was to duplicate what I had seen in the wild. I took the same card and punched a whole into it. You can see it here right next to my face. I let it sit submerged for another hour. Guess what happened?









We Have Found Leakage!


Not too much of a surprise when I looked at the card after being under water for an hour. On one side enough water seeped in to discolor half of my face and down into the text making it smear. Imagine all the things that would start happening after a few showers and then mold and anything else that made it inside over time. I would suspect this would not last very long before becoming unreadable.

Hot Lamination Dunk Test - With Hole

Time - One Hour 

Result - Moisture Leaked In!

Side Two Really Shows The Leak.

When I flipped the card over I really could see how much moisture entered through the hole. Almost half of the card was wet and most of the ink was smearing. 

End Result: laminations either hot or cold do not glue to the objects inside when sealed. In the case of hot lamination it tightens slightly when the plastic is heated but only the plastic to plastic bonds together. The hole when created opens enough so that the inside of the hole exposes the paper within to the air and thus moisture. This causes the leakage and the problem.

So if you are going to put Munzee cards out do not put a whole directly into the paper area of the lamination. Try this. Before printing, shrink down the size of the Munzee in the print options to 70% instead of 100%. Then put the card towards the bottom of the sleeve when doing the lamination. This will leave enough of clear plastic to plastic which will bond together. Punch your hole through that area and no leaks! Hope you found this useful and also whetted your appetite for playing Munzee.

Have fun out there.

-HHH


Update:

Printed 83% to fit room for a sealed hole

Here is what it looks like when you print the Munzee Card at 83% instead of 100%. This leaves more than enough room for your sealed hole to be made.










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Summer Geocaching: Don't Be Struck Down By The Heat

I don't know about you but in North America we are in the Dog Days of Summer. Yep, there actually is such a thing and for the Northern Hemisphere they usually run early July to early September. For the Southern Hemisphere it usually is January through early March -thank you Wiki. Either way you don't have to look it up on the Internet to know that it's frick'n hot out.  Yeah I know depending on what region you actually reside in there are variances but for most we are sizzling.

So it is only right that I put out some helpful suggestions for geocaching in the heat. When it comes to survival mode we unusually are more safety concerned in the cold temps but let me tell you, the heat can be just as bad.
I personally think we do not feel as concerned this time of year. The sun is shining, birds are singing and we are feeling the need to geocache. So grabbing a baseball cap and your GPSr is all you need right? WRONG!

Here is what you really need to keep in mind and get your supplies in order before going out geocaching during summer time.

Heat Exposure - Basically that is when your body gets so warm it can't handle it and you shut down. Think of it as your whole body going over 106 temp and then grinds to a halt. Over 6000 people every year get this and you can die from it. Watch when you are exerting yourself outside in the heat. Take rests, find shade and DRINK WATER.

Dehydration - Lets face it, when we are geocaching we are constantly moving. In the heat we can loose oodles of our precious fluids and quite frankly we need them if we don't want to get all the symptoms that come with dehydration. Keep drinking water when geocaching but especially when you are in the summer heat. You would be surprised how much you lose and how quickly. Always hydrate, and that includes your geocaching pets!

GeoSnacks - Yeah it may not be the top of your list but you always want to keep non-melt-able food stuffs with you while geocaching. Keeping your energy level high keeps your body in a better condition to fight off the draining and straining effects the heat can bring on a geocacher.

Lighting Strikes - During the summer thunderstorms can pop up out of nowhere. Many times right where you are geocaching. What many people do not realize is that a lightning strike can happen tens of miles from the nearest cloud and without warning. Always keep an eye on the sky when geocaching. If you hear thunder you are in range of a strike. Find shelter.

Spiders, Snakes and other Critters - When it gets hot out critters like to go where they can cool off. Just like we like to do. The issue is many times geocaches are hidden in those nice little nooks and crannies where the critters are. Always follow HeadHardHat's Number One Rule of Geocaching - Poke It With A Stick! Never reach your hand into a place that you cannot see everything that is around it. Use an inspection mirror to be absolutely sure nothing is in there that will cause you harm.

Well that is the short and dirty list. If you have more suggestions please send them in and we will make an official summer heat geocaching list.

Be safe out there cachers!

-HHH

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Oh Yes I Am Hooked On Google+

If you frequent my blog, videos, shows, etc. you know I am a geek at heart. So it should be no surprise to know that I am very hooked with the new Google + user interface. I can't help it. Though I can stop at any time... really.

Because I always want to communicate with as many geocachers as possible.  I am posting this for any geocacher who would like to get into my "geocacher circle" by going to my page and clicking the Add To Circles button.

Go here: https://plus.google.com/100208679823468674324/posts

I already have a pretty good geocacher list going. Please join the crowd and when you do you have access to even more geocacher interaction, information and stuff. Be sure to go through the list of geocachers and see who else may be missing.

Type to you soon.

-HHH

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GeoWoodstock IX: Three Days, Six Shows, 1300+ Miles, a Handful of Geocaches - Part Three: The Day of Geowoodstock IX

Meet "Jenny" at GeoWoodstock IX

How does one summarize a day such as GeoWoodstock IX? To be straight out honest I can't,  at least I cannot account for everything that happened at this amazing Geocaching event. My perspective is one from the fun and excitement I observed in and around the media/podcast building from which I spent the majority of the day. Here goes though.

Andy McCaskey, Dave Dufour, Amanda a.k.a. Geoness and I showed up at 7:00am EST at the Warren County Fairgrounds after an hour ride from our hotel in Franklin. This was my first Mega Geocaching Event so I already was pretty much geeked once my feet hit the hotel floor. For years I heard about GeoWoodstock and now I was going to be able to experience it for myself. Even though I was pretty much booked for the day with all the shows and podcasts it was still going to be an amazing experience.

I originally planned on helping Darrylw4, Firefly03 and TheBadCop with the audio setup but instead ended up going out and scouting the camping areas where several geocachers stated interest with talking to RVNN.tv about their Geocaching adventures in their RVs. Managing Director Andy McCaskey and Creative Director Dave Dufour were leading the way as we ventured forth.

First we met up with a Geocaching couple who introduced us to "Jenny". Jenny,  who happened to be a neon green VW van. You can't miss Jenny which absolutely depicted the theme and glory of a GeoWoodstock event. There was Peace, Love and Geocaching everywhere you looked. Doing the interview was a real treat and after giving hugs and handshakes we were bestowed with a really cool peace sign neckless. In fact I wore it for the whole rest of the day.

Our next destination took us all the way to the back of the grounds where we met our second Geocaching couple. We had such a great time talking with them that we invited them to be part of the actual show in front of our audience. They happily agreed.

Before we knew it, it was time to head back to the stage. As we strolled across the camping area I realized from our early morning excursions how Geocaching and RVing does really go hand and hand. There really are a whole lot of RVrs out their that do enjoy our Geocaching activity.

To Be Continued Tomorrow....  Part Four: Podcasts and TV Shows.. It's all Good

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Where's RVNN.tv: GeoWoodstock IX Group Photo

We were there and we have photos to prove it.. Below is the group shot for Geowoodstock IX and the RVNN.tv gang is in there somewhere. Check it out then find out exactly. Enjoy.

Here's the original photo (click to enlarge)

Red box.. Here we are.

A blurry close-up but one none the less.

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Behind The Scenes of Geocaching World (RVNN.tv) Geowoodstock IX Editions

Andy McCaskey, HeadHardHat, Dave Dufour

I tell you what. There is nothing like doing a LIVE recording in front of an audience and you couldn't ask for a better group of people than the ones we met at Geowoodstock IX. That's right the RVNN.tv gang packed up our equipment and headed out to Warren, PA for the largest geocaching event of the year. We taped two shows which were #23 and #24 in the Geocaching World roster. Lets go over the highlights.

Show #23 was so much fun. We started out with Dave Dufour and myself welcoming everybody and basically explaining what Geowoodstock was and all the things you can do and see there. Then we had some audience participation. For example we had a lucky contestant come up and try to find the winning log out of an ammo box filled with 35mm containers. Loads of fun with that one. Our special guests for this episode were several members of the Geowoodstock IX committee. They put so much work into this amazing geocaching event that it only seemed appropriate to shine the spotlight on them. In our final segment we had another audience participation  contest with two contestants. It was informative because we talked about a really neat geocache that I made and then we used it for a nano log roll up contest - muhahahahaha! Loads of cool fun you will have to see the episode to appreciate.

Show #24 was a blast as well. We liked the ammo box bit so much we did it again and you will have to see the last seconds of this to believe it. No spoilers today - sorry. Our special guest for this episode was an RVing Geocacher who also was attending Geowoodstock IX. Since Geocaching World and RVNN.tv is such a great combination, this was a perfect interview to show our viewers how geocachers use their RVs to travel the country and enjoy our game, sport and obsession. You don't want to miss this episode either, then again why would you want to miss any of them?

Before we go we want to thank Darrylw4, Firefly03 and TheBadCop for all their contributions and setup of the Media/Podcast building. Managing Director Andy McCaskey did the camera work with help of my daughter Amanda Geoness Smith who also did camera work and assisted us all day long.

We most likely will be airing these particular episodes a bit early so keep an eye out on the RVNN.tv website.

See you back in the studio next week!

-HHH

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Several Unsung Heroes of GeoWoodstock IX

Andy McCaskey of RVNN.tv watching TheBadCop and Darrylw4
doing setup.

I'm absolutely sure that there were dozens of unsung heroes that helped make GeoWoodstock IX the Geocaching event that it was. I personally can't vouch for those out of the sphere of my influence but I sure can make sure that the people I did observe get some of the credit they are due. In my humble opinion the spotlight should be firmly fixed on my good friends Darryl Wattenberg a.k.a. Darrylw4, Drei a.k.a. Firefly03 and Chris Umphenour a.k.a TheBadCop and this is why.

At GeoWoodstock IX there was for the first time ever a media / podcast building dedicated for the recording and presentation of live shows. We had the Cache-a-maniacs Podcast, two episodes of Geocaching World (RVNN.tv), Geocaching Podcast, Caching in the Northwest Podcast and Cachers of the Round Table Podcast. That would be six live shows to essentially produce and record. Where did all the equipment come from? Look no further than Darrylw4 who brought pretty much his own personal studio and what ever else he needed was rented, borrowed and or appropriated. Then the equipment had to be moved from Michigan to GeoWoodstock IX in a rented van. Did I also mention that Darrylw4 paid most if not all of the expenses for the equipment? That was just the beginning. At 7:00am EST we were on site unloading the equipment and setting it up. Now that is where the spotlight also shows Drie and TheBadCop. All the equipment unloaded, setup and then tested before the shows started at 11am. Did I mention that we didn't have actual electricity to the building till 10? We also were supposed to have WIFI for the day but don't get me started there. This is not the place but Darryl had that as part of the show specs and was ready to go for that too. If it was actually provided. I digress.



Another view of the setup before the shows



We had six or seven mike and headset setups all working independently, full speaker systems, a sound board the size of Cleveland, PCs and a slew of other equipment all used for the day. This doesn't even include the video cameras and wireless mike systems, on and on.

Then once the shows were done they had to take everything down, pack it and get it back to Michigan. Wow!

So in my opinion, Darrylw4, Firefly03 and TheBadCop deserve some recognition and a good ole pat on the back with thanks for all their great efforts. GeoWoodstock IX would not have been the same without them being there. From all of us who enjoyed the shows, Thanks Guys!

-HHH

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GeoWoodstock IX: Three Days, Six Shows, 1300+ Miles, a Handful of Geocaches - Part Two

One of the drawbacks for me when at an event like Geowoodstock IX or many of the other geocaching events I attend is I am always working. Either I am filming for GeoSnippits Videos, Geocaching World (RVNN.tv) or doing something with a camera or mike in my hand. Because of that I usually do not get to see all the extra attractions as much as I would like. For example the vendors. There were tons of them at Geowoodstock IX but my only real chance was the Friday evening registration event. There I was able to meet up with some of the early birds and one in particular was Beverly at GxProxy ( http://www.gxproxy.com/ ).

Picture a nice set of 10x10 tents with tables filled with all the geocaching swag and traveller stuff you could imagine. I literally was that 8 year old in a candy store and had to keep from drooling all over the place as I examined the wares.  There was a large crowd gathered around the area and for good reason. The quality of the products were outstanding and what caught my interest was the focus on proxies. Now I up to that point was not a big fan of the proxy concepts. I had found them in geocaches in the past usually in pretty bad shape. A proxy for those who may not know are replacement icons that are put in geocaches as representatives of say a geocoin. Many times they are photocopies of the geocoin wrapped in plastic laminate. Many times not even that good. Many geocachers simply ignore them. These proxies were different.

If you purchased one of the many package registrations then you received a Geowoodstock IX geocoin. You also received a proxy coin as well. The one thing that turned me around on the subject of proxies were these coins. They are gorgeous, have a great feel and weight to them and are in my humble opinion geocoins in their own right. I would have no problem moving one if found in a geocache. Now that my interest was peeked I wanted to learn more so I asked for the owner of GxProxy and that was when I met Beverly.

Among all the hustle and bustle was this worldwind of an individual doing sales transactions, talking to customers, answering questions and pretty much running the joint. That was Beverly and through all of this she had time to be interviewed by me and actually show me almost all of the new items they were selling. We will be showing many of the GxProxy product line in future posts and on Geocaching World (RVNN.tv) so keep watch.

Long story short Beverly is an amazing person to know and talk with and I personally think her company is going to go far. They have great ideas and are working hard to make Geocaching even more fun. Again, more to come.

Chris Mackey  is in the red/orange shirt

Hang on that isn't the end of the story with Beverly. Just before I left I made the remark to her about how impressive the laser etching art work was on the Proxies. She smiled and said the artist is Chris Mackey. Now I am a huge fan of Chris and told Beverly no wonder they look so good. That was when she asked me if I wanted to meet him.

Now folks, I have been in the entertainment world in one way or another since I was about 12. Met a lot of personalities from night clubs, radio, television and the like. When she asked if I wanted to meet Chris Mackey my hands started to shake. No kidding. He is THE geocoin artist in my opinion and I have many of his design in my personal collection. He is also, drum roll please,  Beverly's son. How cool is that? So I was able to meet up with Chris and have a great chat. We will also be having Chris on Geocaching World in future episodes.

To Be Continued Tomorrow....  Part Three: The Day of Geowoodstock IX

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GeoWoodstock IX: Three Days, Six Shows, 1300+ Miles, a Handful of Geocaches - Part One

A small part of the registration line Friday night.

It is now two days after my return from GeoWoodstock IX and I am just now starting to get my head wrapped around everything that happened over the Fourth of July weekend.

It started with an eleven hour road trip from Raleigh, NC to Franklin, PA.. We had zero time for Geocaching, though we did go for a couple. The issue was always time. Had to make it to the hotel in time to meet-up with Andy McCaskey and Dave Dufour from RVNN.tv. Which if everything worked out as planned would allow us less than an hour to get our rooms and then travel an hour to the evenings' first Woodstock IX meet and greet event. Don't ask me how but we both arrived at the hotel minutes from each other.  Keep in mind that they came from Elkhart, Indiana. For me personally was very cool because this was the first time I physically met the guys even though we have been working on Geocaching World for months now. It was not long after the introductions that we piled into the van and headed for the meet and greet.

Believe it or not with all the time I spent at GeoWoodstock IX it was the meet and greet where I had the most freedom to do things. There we went though the registration process and even though there were thousands of geocachers there it really did not take that long to get through. A nicety I would like to mention is that even though Andy and Dave were not registered due to the timing of them coming. We were able to get them each a name tag because they are part of the show. To the committee I say thank you.

After getting Geoness's and my preordered goodie bags it was time to check out the vendors. Even though not all of them were there yet we had a blast meeting up with as many as possible. There were many new Geocaching items that caught my eye with the big focus being on proxies. I personally have a huge pet peeve with many proxies in general. I am sorry but a photo copy, drawing or just plain text in laminate  is not a good representation of a Geocoin. Yet these are so much more than any other proxy I have seen before. These are geocoins in their own right that just happen to represent the original. Many are laser etched with awesome art work and a great size and feel to them. These I would move from geocache to geocache with no problem.

One of my favorite times with a vendor Beverly at GxProxy (http://www.gxproxy.com/ ). Let me tell you she is a spitfire of energy and not only handled many of the customers with their purchases but also did an absolutely great job being interviewed by me at the same time. Let me tell you more about this amazing Lady and the company she runs.

To Be Continued Tomorrow...

GeoCache: I'm NOT Obsessed... Right?
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GeoWoodstock IX - What Happened With The Streaming???

Okay, so here's the scoop on what happened at Geowoodstock IX and why we couldn't get much information out.

You see there were these three aliens see and they were amused at all these people having fun out in the middle of nowhere. So the one alien says to the other....

Ummm, no.

The truth is we really don't know what happened. There was a huge truck/platform there which was supposed to have the WI-FI up and running Friday night. It was supposed to be so good that we were going to be able to stream live pretty much all day. W00T!

Depending on who you talk to the company responsible either couldn't get it working, maybe some components were stolen, who knows!?! The end result was we had no WI-FI and no phone tower. The one that was nearby was so overwhelmed by all the people attending it was pretty much useless. I know I couldn't even get a tweet out that day. So there you go. Sorry for getting your hopes up and not delivering but sometimes the best laid plans of mice and men...

Did record a lot of goodies and will be sending that to you over the next few days. Stay Tuned!

-HHH

GeoCache: I'm NOT Obsessed... Right?
http://headhardhat-geocache.blogspot.com/
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Geowoodstock Registration

Getting Ready To Go To The Geowoodstock IX Meet-Up Event

Well gang we made it. Geoness and I made the eleven hour trip from Raleigh, North Carolina to our hotel which happens to be an hour from the GeoWoodstock IX Fairgrounds.

It was kind of cool that Dave Dufour and Andy McCaskey arrived at the hotel within minutes of each other. They came from the far side of Indiana and hit the road about 8:30 this morn. Whilst Geoness and I left at 5:15am. Oh what we do to have a chance of meeting our fans and viewers.

Whelp just about time to meet up with the guys and head to the Geocaching Event. There will be tons of things going on tomorrow. We will be doing setup at 7am EST and once complete I will be sending out tweets, pix and information about what LIVE Ustreams that will be available and when.

Remember to follow me on twitter @HeadHardHat for like me on Facebook to get all the up to date information as the day goes on. This blog will also have updates sent to it as well. So you are covered whether you are actually at GeoWoodstock IX or not.

Either way a lot of fun will be for all.

-HHH